Note: From July 8–Oct. 5 2026, the road to Rialto Beach will be closed for construction. If you’re eloping during this timeframe, I recommend checking out other nearby beaches such as Ruby Beach or Second Beach!
Rialto Beach is a location that works for just about every kind of elopement. Bringing guests? There’s plenty of room. Want to hike? You can do that too. You can bring your dog, build a fire, or hike down the beach for some of the best sea stacks on the Olympic Peninsula. It checks a lot of boxes, which is why I think it’s easily one of the best places to elope in Olympic National Park.
If you’re wondering how or where to elope at Rialto Beach, you’re in the right place. I’ve been photographing elopements here for around seven years and put this guide together to cover everything you need to know, including the best locations, permits, weather, tides, crowds, and all the little logistics that are helpful to know before your wedding day.
How to Elope at Rialto Beach (An Overview)
If you want the quick version, here you go! Otherwise, feel free to keep reading for the full guide.
- Best time of year to elope: May to October
- Hiking required: No hiking required
- Closest town: Forks (23 minutes)
- Crowd level: Moderate, depends on the season
- Pet-friendly: Yes, but only 0.8 miles north towards Ellen Creek. I usually recommend eloping at Ruby Beach if you need a dog-friendly location.
- Permit information: A $50 permit is required for elopements with more than five people total
Where to Elope on Rialto Beach
There are really only two main places to elope at Rialto Beach: the main beach area or Hole-in-the-Wall. Both are beautiful, but they offer completely different experiences depending on how much walking you want to do, whether you’re bringing guests, and how much you want to plan around the tides.
Here’s how to decide between the two.
Hole-in-the-Wall Trail
If you’re up for a little walking and want some of the most unique scenery on the Washington coast, Hole-in-the-Wall is the spot.
Getting there requires a 3.3-mile roundtrip walk along the beach, but you’ll be rewarded with massive rock formations, tide pools, sea stacks, and some of the coolest scenery you’ll find anywhere along the Olympic coast.
The biggest thing to know is that you have to plan around low tide. Hole-in-the-Wall becomes inaccessible when the tide comes in, so checking the tide chart before choosing your ceremony time is a must.
Best for:
- Couples who don’t mind a 3.3-mile walk
- Just-the-two-of-you elopements
- Tide pools and unique rock formations
- Couples who want something a little more adventurous
If you don’t mind the walk and are willing to plan around the tides, this is hands down my favorite spot on Rialto Beach.
Sea Stacks (Main Beach Area)
If you want to keep things simple without sacrificing the scenery, you really can’t go wrong with the main beach. In fact, this is where I recommend most couples have their ceremony, especially if they’re bringing guests.
Right near the parking lot, you’ll find huge sea stacks, piles of driftwood, and plenty of open shoreline. There’s no hiking required.
Best for:
- Elopements with guests
- Couples who don’t want to hike
- Easier access
- More flexibility around ceremony times
- Sea stack views without the 3.3-mile walk
If you’re bringing family or simply don’t want to spend part of your wedding day hiking down the beach, I’d choose this area over Hole-in-the-Wall.
Best Time of Year to Elope at Rialto Beach
The best time of year to elope at Rialto Beach is May through October.
From my experience photographing elopements here, May and September through early October are the sweet spots. You’ll usually get decent weather, fewer crowds, and plenty of daylight without the craziness that comes with peak summer.
- Spring: Fewer crowds, cooler temperatures, more rain and fog
- Summer: Warmest weather, longest days, and the biggest crowds
- Fall: Cooler, moodier, and much quieter—one of my favorite times to elope here
- Winter: Rainy, windy, and unpredictable, but incredibly quiet
If weather is your priority, I’d choose July through September. If privacy is more important, aim for May, September, or October.
Rialto Beach Permit Information
You only need a permit for a Rialto Beach elopement if your group includes 6 or more people total. This includes the two of you, your photographer, officiant, guests, and any other vendors who will be present.
If your total group size is 5 people or fewer, you don’t need a permit.
How to Apply for a Permit:
- Fill out the permit application.
- Email your completed application to OLYM_Permits@nps.gov.
- Once approved, you’ll receive a payment link to pay the $50 fee online.
- After your payment is processed (usually within a few days), the park will email you your approved permit.
I recommend applying for a permit one year to 3 months in advance.
How Many Guests?
Rialto Beach allows groups of up to 50 people total, including the couple, guests, and vendors.
Do Tides Matter at Rialto Beach?
Tides don’t matter too much if you’re eloping on the main area of Rialto Beach. However, if you want to hike out to Hole-in-the-Wall, you’ll need to plan around low tide since parts of the trail become inaccessible as the tide comes in.
I recommend checking the NOAA tide charts before choosing your ceremony time. If Hole-in-the-Wall is part of your plans, give yourself plenty of time to hike out, explore, and make it back before the tide rises.
Pro tip: Don’t plan to arrive at Hole-in-the-Wall right at low tide. You’ll want enough time on either side to actually explore and take photos without racing the ocean back.
Where to Stay When Eloping at Rialto Beach
Forks
Forks is the closest town to Rialto Beach, about 20 to 25 minutes away.
There isn’t a ton to do unless you’re a big Twilight fan, but you’ll find plenty of Airbnbs, cabins, restaurants, and basic necessities nearby. It’s easily the most convenient place to stay if you want quick access to Rialto Beach and don’t want to spend a ton of your wedding day driving.
Port Angeles
Port Angeles is about an hour and a half from Rialto Beach and is a better option if you want more restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, and things to do.
It’s also much closer to popular Olympic National Park locations like Lake Crescent, Hurricane Ridge, and Marymere Falls, so I’d consider staying here if you’re planning an all-day elopement that includes multiple areas of the park.
If Rialto Beach is the main focus of your elopement, I’d stay in Forks. If you’re planning to explore several areas of the park afterwards, Port Angeles may make more sense.
Real Rialto Beach Elopement Example
Now that we’ve got all the logistics out of the way, here’s some inspiration from a real elopement I photographed on Rialto Beach in May!
It’s always a treat getting to show couples around Olympic National Park, especially when it’s their first time here. That was exactly the case for Jess and Warren, who traveled all the way from Texas for their elopement. Neither of them had ever been to the Pacific Northwest, but after seeing photos of Hurricane Ridge and Rialto Beach online, they were completely sold on it. When they reached out and started talking about mountain views, beaches, and wanting to see as much variety as possible in one day, I knew this was going to be a good one.
We met mid-afternoon at Hurricane Ridge, where the fog was rolling in and out nonstop. From a photography standpoint, it was a dream. And don’t even get me started on the deer. Hurricane Ridge almost always delivers when it comes to wildlife. I see deer up there constantly, but that day felt next level. Jess and Warren had an entire stretch of the mountains to themselves. Seriously, not a person in sight! They even got to experience a bit of lingering snowpack, which was especially exciting for two people coming from Texas.
After the ceremony, we stopped by Lake Crescent for portraits, and I took them to one of my favorite hidden forest trails nearby. Watching couples see places like that for the first time never gets old. In just a few hours, they experienced mountains, forests, a lake, and later, the coast. Not bad for one wedding day.
We wrapped up the evening at Rialto Beach, and wow… did the weather show off. We got one of the most unreal sunsets I’ve ever seen there, with pink, blue, and orange covering the entire sky.
Once the sun went down, we headed back toward the parking lot, where Jess and Warren ended the night eating mini cakes from a local bakery at one of the picnic tables.
Mountains, snow, deer, forests, a lake, mini cakes, and one ridiculous sunset. I’d say their first trip to Washington went pretty well.
- Photography: Me!
- Florals: Fullness of Joy Floral
- Hair and Makeup: Jocelyn DeChenne
Rialto Beach Elopement Packages
If you’re already picturing yourselves eloping at Rialto Beach, you’re in the right place. I’m Brianna, a Pacific Northwest elopement photographer who specializes in Olympic National Park and knows this coastline inside and out. I’ve photograph elopements at Rialto every year and would love to photograph yours.
From timing your ceremony around tides and sunsets, to choosing spots that work well for guests and dogs, to handling permits and logistics, I’m here for way more than just photos.
You can take a look at my elopement packages below, or head over to my full elopement packages page for all the details on how I help plan and photograph your Rialto Beach elopement.
- 4 hours – 2 days of elopement coverage anywhere in Washington
- A personalized elopement planning experience with unlimited assistance
- Personalized elopement location recommendations
- Vendor, lodging, and activity recommendations
- Assistance and information to help you with permits, licenses, etc.
- 90+ page elopement planning guide filled with tips and tricks
- Customized elopement timelines
- Optional complimentary officiant services
- Online gallery with full resolution images and printing rights
- 24-48 hour sneak peeks to share with the world
- Travel fees to anywhere in Washington are already included
- Starting at $6,500
Looking for more elopement inspiration? You might like my PNW elopement guide, my guide to the 15 best places to elope in Washington, or this incredible Second Beach elopement I photographed right next door to Rialto!
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An all-in-one planning guide for all things elopements! Whether you’re hoping to hike through the mountains of Washington or sip a margarita on the beaches of California, this comprehensive elopement guide has everything you need to know about how to plan the perfect elopement.
You? You’re the kind of person that gets a lil’ teary eyed looking at an epic view…
That moment when you turn to the person you’re with and ask, “Are you seeing this?” I live for it. Places with trees and mountains and soft breezes that make you say, “I can’t believe this place exists,” I spend pretty much all of my free time searching for and exploring them.
These places have always felt like home to me. And if you’re the kind of person who also feels more at home surrounded by trees than by people? Then we’ll get along really well. The Pacific Northwest is full of secret spots that are too special to share with just anyone. But it would make me happy to share them with you on your wedding day.
If the mountains/beaches/redwood forests are calling your name, go ahead…
(I promise you won’t regret it.)
P.S. I’m Brianna. I’m a Pacific Northwest elopement photographer whose mission is to create custom, one-of-a-kind elopement experiences in the Pacific Northwest that allow couples to fully immerse themselves in the highest levels of excitement and wonder on a day designed exclusively for them.
